1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ground probes, and more specifically to a metallic sensing ground probe that provides feedback when a metallic object is detected in the ground approximate a sensor tip on a rod.
When a standard ground probe is used to probe the ground over a suspected location for a utility pipe, a rocky soil may present a problem of whether the encountered object is a rock or the utility pipe. A hammer may be used on the standard ground probe to displace the rock or confirm location of the utility pipe, whereby this can lead to damaging the utility pipe coating or the utility pipe itself.
The present invention provides a metallic sensing ground probe containing a rod having a sensor tip located on a distal end of the rod, so that when a metal object, such as a utility pipe, is encountered a circuit will be completed that will illuminated a LED in a LED display unit located on a handle as a visual indicator to a worker that the metal object has been encountered. It is further envisioned when the standard ground probe is used and upon penetration stoppage of its rod in the ground, the rod can be withdrawn. The rod of the metallic sensing ground probe can then be inserted into the ground to determine whether the object is metal or not.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are metal detectors providing feedback when encountering metal objects buried in the ground. While these metal detectors may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide a metallic sensing ground probe incorporating a sensor tip on a distal end of a rod to detect a metal object, such as a buried metal utility pipe when contacted by the sensor tip.
It is further desirable to provide a metallic sensing ground probe having a plurality of LEDs within an LED display unit on a handle indicating the operational status thereof and when the sensor tip has encountered the metal object within the ground.